Trembling hands & open hearts
by Water-star
Summary: After the death of his father, Hiccup Haddock returned to his hometown of Berk to not only mourn & re-gather himself, but also to renovate his family's decrepit cabin, which is located in the middle of nowhere. However, his plans are drastically altered when he finds out that its been leased to a mysterious woman by the name of Elsa with a heart as cold as winter... Modern AU!
1. Life in a northern town

_The evening had turned to rain  
Watched the water roll down the drain  
As we followed him down... to the station  
And he would never wave goodbye  
You could see it written in his eyes  
As the train pulled out of sight, right by  
Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh  
Heya ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah  
Life in a northern town_ _  
_

\- The Dream Academy

* * *

It had been more than two years since Hiccup had driven down the streets of the quaint little town known as Berk and he was somewhat disappointed to find nothing much had changed since his last visit; a few new renovations to several of the older buildings, a new road or two, and some faces he didn't recognise, but apart from that, still same old Berk.

It was both a comforting, yet horribly depressing notion.

 _'Of course, you would probably have noticed this all a month ago had you been paying attention.'_ His mind chastised him with a sarcastic drawl, very much like his owner.

That was true, except he had some rather more pressing thoughts at hand at that time than focusing on the decor of his hometown.

Like the death of his father, for example.

Stoick _(the Vast, he was nicknamed by his friends and family)_ Haddock—the largest, bravest, sturdiest man Hiccup had ever known—had sadly died last month in a fatal heart attack which no one saw coming. It had been a shock to everyone, even though he probably could have lost a few pounds and cut down on the alcohol and probably work on his stress levels, he had only just turned fifty and had been expected to live at least another thirty years.

His mother, Valka, had been devastated, to say at the least, and it completely broke Hiccup's heart when he heard her on the phone in a tight voice; sobbing & barely holding it together, before finally mustering the strength and telling him why he needed to come home as soon as possible.

He was on the next flight and in the arms of his grieving mother before daybreak.

The funeral followed soon afterwards, and while it had been a small, private affair, there was also a public service held for him as well, which was really no surprise. After all, he was the Mayor and Chief of the Berk Fire-brigade; he spent most of his free time as a volunteer and was an active member of the community. Many of the citizens looked to him as their leader and respected him fiercely, which, unfortunately, meant for Hiccup that he had to endure accepting many condolences—and, although he deeply appreciate everyone's sympathies, it was still hard.

He and his father had always had difficulty communicating with one another; Valka was always going on conservation expeditions for months at a time, leaving the two of them estranged. Growing up, Stoick would always go on about hoping for his son to one day follow in his footsteps and take him to put out fires, whilst all Hiccup wanted to do was spend his free time in his work shed tinkering with whatever he could get his hands on, or better yet, go with his mother on one of her many adventures and save endangered wildlife.

It wasn't until he was fifteen and he almost lost his leg in an out of control fire during summer that Stoick began to realise that he didn't care whatever path his son chose, as long as he was happy with the choices he made, and Hiccup realised, despite all his sarcasm, sharp words & innate desire to walk his own path, he couldn't deny that deep down all he wanted was just to make his father proud. After that, they came to a mutual understanding and they truly began to bond. So now knowing that his father was gone forever drove a painful wedge deep inside Hiccup's chest and he just simply didn't want to have to deal with it.

He hadn't been able to stay in Berk for very long, he had been involved in the new Women & Children's hospital which had been very close to completion, and he had had to return to the city of Corona after just a few days.

However, now it was completed and Hiccup had all the time in the world; so he decided to move back home, to sort out the legal mumbo-jumbo of his father's estates and allow himself the chance to mourn properly. Maybe.

"So, this is it, Bud, our new home." He said, glancing over to his left, to see his pet cat who was currently snoozing on the passenger seat.

Toothless sluggishly opening one eye and then another, letting out a wide yawn before stretching out its lithe frame and, much to the contractor's dismay, starting clawing the upholstery of the seat.

"Hey! Cut that out," he scolded gently, being used to his cat's antics. "You know that ruins the material."

The black cat glanced over to his owner, with an apathetic look which roughly translated to: _Yeah, I know, but what are you going to do about it?_

"Useless feline..." he muttered under his breath, before turning his attention to the apartment block he was currently parked in front of.

It had previously been a warehouse back in the 1920s, but due the Great Depression it had quickly fell into bankruptcy and was left abandoned up until the 90s when property developers had purchased it and renovated it into studio apartments. Unfortunately, what they failed to notice was that Berk had a rather small population and unemployment had reached a record high that year, so they had to sell the units for far less than they had hoped to profit. Fortunately for Hiccup, his father wa- _had_ _been_ a very savvy businessman and he had purchased the studio apartment for a reasonable price with the hopes renting it out and making a steady income until his son was old enough to take over the property.

While the contractor was grateful to be living somewhere where he didn't have to pay rent, in all honesty, he would have preferred staying in his family's cabin in the woods, like he had often done when he was still dating Astrid or when he just wanted to be alone, but it was a forty-five minute drive to the middle of nowhere with next to no reception. God knows what could happen if there was an emergency...

 _'Besides, that place is so old it's nowhere near fit for living conditions.'_ He mused, remembering how the roof had started to cave in and how the structure of the work-shed next to it had all but collapsed. It might have been okay ten years ago when he was still a teenager and had complete disregard for his safety, however, now that he was older, he could see that it desperately needed a renovation.

 _'I'll have to go to Uncle Gobber tomorrow and ask him for the keys.'_ He decided, as he pulled his duffel bag with him upstairs, Toothless following closely behind.

Most people would have thought it was strange of a pet owner to allow their pet to follow them around without a lead or harness, but Toothless was an extremely intelligent & loyal creature and Hiccup trusted him completely.

 _'Although, I should have asked him when I was there getting these keys.'_ He realised whilst using said item to open the front door, feeling somewhat irritated by his thoughtlessness.

Pushing the aforementioned door open, the young man stepped into the studio apartment and assessed what was now their new home. It was certainly nice, he would give it that; modern, clean, spacious, and fully furnished, which was great because now he wouldn't have to worry about doing any sort of furniture shopping. But best of all, it had a wide seat right in front of a large window, which would be perfect for him to rest on whilst sketching or drawing and for Toothless to sun-lounge, whom speaking of which, seemed to approve since he instantly bolted over to the window seat, keenly peering through the glass to see what was outside.

Hiccup chuckled, glad to see that his friend was pleased with the new apartment, before closing the door behind them and deciding to explore the unit. There were some stairs that led up to the bedroom right next to the window, but because it was all open, once he got up there he could see the entire studio, leaving no sense of privacy whatsoever, so he would either have to get dressed up there, or in the bathroom which was back downstairs _(which would be a real pain if he needed to go during the middle of the night...)_ Other than that, he had no problems.

 _'Thanks Dad, even though you're gone, you're still taking care of me.'_ He reflected, grateful for his father's thoughtfulness, before feeling a pang of sadness & longing. _'I just wish I could have been there for you when you needed me...'_

No, stop, he wouldn't do this. He wouldn't let his guilt consume him for something that he had no part of, and Stoick certainly wouldn't want him to blame himself for not being there to hold his hand during in his last few moments. Instead, he would want his son to be strong and be there for his wife.

 _'Speaking of which, I better give her a call.'_

Pulling out his Iphone, Hiccup scrolled down the list of contacts until he reached his mother's name and clicked on dial.

 _"Hello?"_ Valka answered after two rings.

"Hey mum, it's me." He replied, feeling at ease from the sound of her voice.

 _"Hiccup! So you're here? How was the drive? Did you manage to get in contact with Gobber?"_

"I'm fine, and yes I got in contact with Uncle Gobber, so now I'm at the apartment. The drive was long, but good—personally, I'm exhausted. I think I might just get some take-away delivered and go straight to bed."

 _"Would you like me to bring some spaghetti & meatballs? I just made some tonight."_

"NO!" He exclaimed, before back-pedalling. He loved his mother dearly, but she had some God-awful culinary skills. Sometimes, he wondered how both him & his father managed to survive on her terrible cooking for so long. "I mean, no thank you. I'm in more of a Chinese mood tonight. Thank you anyway."

 _"So you'll come visit tomorrow?"_

"Yeah, but I've gotta go see Gobber first. Maybe some time after lunch?"

 _"Okay, I look forward to it. I love you."_

Suddenly his throat felt very tight and his eyes became very watery. Valka didn't say those words very often, not to say that she wasn't a very affectionate mother, because she was. It just showed that Stoick's death affected her more than Hiccup had imagined.

"I know," he croaked out. "I love you too. Bye."

And then he hung up.

 _"Miaow?"_

Looking down, he realised that Toothless must have sensed his sadness and had climbed up the stairs looking for him.

"I'm okay, Bud." He said, hoping to appease the feline's concern.

 _"Mia-_ _ **ow**_ _."_ Obviously he did not believe his friend.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not." He admitted and bent over to pick the black cat up.

Toothless obliged with his friend's request and started nuzzling & purring against his owner's chest once Hiccup gathered the creature in his arms. They headed over to the direction of the king size bed and just laid there, doing nothing for the rest of the evening.

Neither felt so hungry anymore.

* * *

The next morning Hiccup found himself in better spirits than he had expected. Maybe it was the super comfy mattress, the companionship of a sympathetic Toothless, or just getting to cry it out all until he finally passed out into a dreamless slumber that led to the good night sleep. Whatever it was, it left the young man feeling alert and ready to take on anything coming his way.

 _'But first thing's first, I better check what time it is.'_ Pulling out his phone from his pocket _(he really should have gotten changed last night...)_ he was surprised to find out it was a little after nine A.M. and remembering that he called Valka at just a little after 6:00 meant that he almost sleep for fifteen hours straight. _'Shit, guess I was more tired than I thought.'_

Although what really surprised him more was that Toothless hadn't woken him up earlier and demanded to be fed. Looking around, he noticed that the black cat was nowhere in sight and quickly concluded that he would most likely be sitting on the window seat, taking in his new surroundings.

Getting up from bed, Hiccup hobbled down the stairs and had his theory proven correct. Toothless, upon hearing footsteps turned his head to his master before jumped from his resting spot and bolted over, all the while miaow-ing his head off.

"Oh sure, _now_ you decide to make yourself known instead of waking me up like you usually do." He drawled sarcastically to the feline, before walking over to the fridge and muttered, "Bloody cat."

He was surprised to find a note attached to the metallic surface; upon closer inspection he realised it was from Gobber, who had been thoughtful enough to pack both the fridge & pantry with the basics necessities, since he wanted to spare his godson the horrors of enduring Valka's cooking, but anything else he would need to purchase himself.

"Remind me to do something nice for Gobber the next time I see him." He thought out loud, whilst rummaging through the fridge to find something suitable for Toothless. He found a carton of milk and some chicken mince; it wasn't much, but it would be enough until he went grocery shopping.

"Here you go, you greedy little runt." He spoke, although it was light & playful. Placing both the food & milk, which were now on saucers, on the ground and he watched in satisfaction as the black cat happily devoured his breakfast. "I guess I better go have a shower."

Twenty minutes later Hiccup was showered, dressed, and out the door. He had been tempted to make some scrambled eggs & toast for breakfast, however, he was running late and he wanted to get the keys off Gobber and head over to the cabin before lunchtime. He needed to assess the state of it before he made any decisions and if it was anything like how he remembered it—it could take a while.

 _'Good thing I brought my tools with me.'_ He thought gratefully, as he walked over to his black work ute. Because of his job, Hiccup didn't usually carry much with him during his travels—just the necessities, like his clothes, his sketchbook, his work vehicle, and Toothless. All his personal effects were packaged up in boxes in the basement of his parents' place, which he would now have to collect as well on the accumulating list of tasks he needed to complete over the course of the day.

If worst came to worst, he could always just postpone his trip to the cabin for another day. After all, he did have time up his sleeve.

Fortunately, the trip to Gobber's was a quick one and it was even more fortunate that he was _actually_ home at the time. Since his father's passing, Gobber had had to pick up the slack for his best friend, and was now the Chief of the fire-brigade, which wasn't all too surprising since he had already been Stoick's second-in-command, but he was now also the executor of Stoick's will and in charge with having to deal with all the legal requirements that came with it. Not to mention the fact he had been visiting Valka everyday and ensuring that she was still eating—not because she was depressed, he assured Hiccup—but because she had been trying to block out her thoughts by instead focusing all her attention into her research _(a habit the young man was all too familiar with...)_

"So apart from that; how's everything else?" Hiccup asked, taking a seat adjacent from his godfather.

"Same old, same old." He replied before taking a sip of coffee he had prepared earlier.

Hiccup followed suit, grateful for the caffeine hit, remembering that he needed to do something nice for the older man's consideration.

"So tell me, young Hiccup. What brings you here today, because it's most certainly not for my barista skills."

 _'Good old Gobber, tactful as always.'_ He mused, but decided not to beat around the bush. "The family cabin..." Gobber raised one blonde, bushy eyebrow at that, peaking Hiccup's curiosity. "It's been a while since I last visited, but it surely needs a make-over. I've got plenty of time now that the Corona Hospital project has been completed, and I was wondering if I could get the keys so I could go visit and assess it."

"Ah... yes... about _that..._ " he started vaguely, looking somewhat uncertain. "I don't... actually... have the keys."

"What...? Why...?" Hiccup drawled out, already not looking forward to whatever his godfather had to say. "Oh please tell me that it hasn't been sold!"

"Oh, nothing like that!" He tried to assure the younger man, but it was clear he wasn't buying it. "It's just that the property's been... leased."

"Leased?!" Hiccup exclaimed, wondering if he had heard that correctly. "You're joking, right?! Surely, you must be joking!"

"I kid you not, Hiccup." Gobber said with dead seriousness.

"B-but _how?!_ W-when?!" He stuttered out. "Last time I was there, the roof was ready to cave in and the wood was showing signs of deterioration! It's totally dilapidated! Who in the right mind would live there! It's a friggin' death trap and totally unfit for human living! What the hell was dad thinking leasing it out?!"

"Well... to be fair, your father didn't actually have any plans for leasing it out. But he got a call nine months ago from a woman who offered him a year's worth of rent in cash upfront if he let her live in the property."

"A whole year's worth of rent? Upfront?" Hiccup looked at the older man with disbelief. "Just who is this woman?"

"Don't know. She didn't give him a name, phone or reference of any sort. It was actually one of the conditions of their contract; she would pay the rent upfront as long as Stoick promised not to pry into her personal affairs. Another condition was that he could neither visit or contact her at all during that entire year, nor could he tell anyone else about the contract. Of course, because I was there when the phone call took place, Stoick had to tell me."

"… what? Are you serious?" Obviously he was, but it was still a lot to take in. "Did he at least meet her before making such a crazy deal?"

Gobber shook his head and the young man felt his heart sink. "She left the money in the mailbox of the property and he left the keys in there after he went there to collect it. He tried looking for her, but there wasn't a single car in sight."

"So there's no actual written contract? Just verbal?"

When his godfather nodded his head, Hiccup sighed and rubbed his aching head, wondering briefly what on earth was going through his father's mind when he made such an agreement.

"So... how much did she give him?"

"Now this is the interesting part-"

"Because it hasn't been interesting at all so far, right?"

"-she gave him seventy-eight hundred and a further twenty-two hundred for him as extra."

The contractor did the maths in his head and stared at Gobber stunned. "She gave him ten grand?!"

With that sort of money, Hiccup could renovate the entire cabin without spending a single cent of his own. Seriously, just who _was_ this woman?!

"With the state that cabin's in, it's not worth _that_ much!" He pointed out. "Does anyone else know about this?"

The older man shook his head. "No, he only ever told me and it certainly wasn't my place to tell anyone, so I've haven't said anything. Hell, he didn't even tell Valka."

"Oh, this is just _great_! So this means she either has a drug laboratory in that cabin and cooking up some hard-core meth like Heisenberg, or she's the next John Bunting!"

" _Or..._ she could be the next Charlotte Brontë." Gobber offered optimistically. "You're thinking too much into this, Hiccup. She's probably just a writer or artist who prefers solitude. You know these arty types; they thrive on isolation, gives them fuel for their next piece of work. They're quirky like that."

"That may be so, but I can't just let someone live there without finding out who they are! Or at least, making sure that they're okay—it's a long way to go for any sort of assistance. Not to mention, if the Housing Tribunal caught wind it would cause a scandal!"

It might have a sounded like he was being over-dramatic, but oh the gossip which would spread around should anyone find out that their Mayor had leased one of his properties under the table to a potential criminal, or worse, if the tenant died while on the property due to gross negligence—it would leave a mark on his father's good name and there was no way in hell Hiccup was going to allow that to happen.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Gobber asked as the contractor rose from his seat.

"I'm going over there to talk to her."

"Are you crazy? There's still another three months to the lease! If you go there you're voiding the contract!" His godfather protested.

"I don't care. If she gets upset and wants to void the lease, then I'll gladly compensate her with three months rent and the extra twenty-two hundred she gave dad." He reasoned calmly. "I know dad would disapprove, since it's close to the end of the lease, but I can't just let some random tenant live in something so decrepit it could fall on their head at any moment. It's my responsibility to make sure that they're okay."

"Just as stubborn as ever, I see." Gobber sighed, knowing he had been defeated. "Alright, you better get going if you want to be back by lunchtime."

"Oh, that's right!" Hiccup realised, pulling out his phone and looked at the time; 10:07 A.M. That meant if he left now he would reach the property just before eleven o'clock. However, with how things were turning out, the young man had a feeling this would take longer than he thought. "Can you let mum know where I'm going and tell her that I might be later than I thought?"

"Sure thing. Good luck, kiddo."

And with that, Hiccup was out of Gobber's house and in his ute in an instant.

 _'Well, this is certainly not how I expected things to pan out...'_ he thought as he turned on the ignition and pressed the acceleration, bracing himself for the long drive ride ahead. _'Let's just hope she can be reasoned with.'_

After all, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 _Author's Notes: And so concludes the first chapter and the only thing I'm thinking right now is;_

 _ **"What the hell am I doing?! Starting another fanfic when I haven't even completed the other dozen that I've started and haven't updated since God knows when? Oh boy..."**_

 _As you can tell, I'm kinda hesitant to put this up now since I don't usually do AUs (I like to stick to cannon), however, I got inspired by a modern AU Hiccelsa video I stumbled across on tumblr called_ _ **"[AU] Hiccup & Elsa - you're beautiful"**_ _which is also on youtube and I fell in love. I've been wanting to do a modern fic for these two for quite some time (and while I have a few more ideas in my head for this cute couple, I will refrain for the sake of your sanity & mine) and hence this came to life. _

_Now be warned; this story will be very different from_ _ **"Thaw Slowly"**_ _(fingers crossed) and will have swearing and sex scenes (_ _ **possibly,**_ _no actual guarantee) so anyone younger than fifteen, I don't recommend reading this. Then again, with what kids watch & get up to nowadays (God, I sound so **old** ), this would definitely be the lesser of two evils... _

_Now time for some trivia: When Hiccup mentioned "cooking up some hard-core meth like Heisenberg" that was a reference to_ _ **"Breaking Bad"**_ _if anyone had seen the show. I've only been able to see the first season, so I don't know much more than that. The other line: "she's the next John Bunting," is a reference to one of Australia's worse serial killers. I won't go into too much detail because it's an incredibly gory & grisly tale - however, at the end of his kills, he placed the victims' bodies in barrels and transported them to an empty bank he was renting in a rural town called Snowtown (which is incredibly ironic, because it never actually snows there.) It's a couple of hours away from Adelaide (which is where I live) and unfortunately for the poor town, it's only recognised for its "Bodies in the barrel" scenario which is a shame because the events never actually occurred there. _

_When Gobber says: "Or... she could be the next Charlotte Brontë." It's a reference to the author, who spent of her life living in isolation. Yeah, you can see I'm going for a theme here..._

 _Anyway, I want to thank_ _ **Maxaro**_ _and_ _ **TheWritingFactory**_ _for once again helping me out with this story._ _ **Maxaro**_ _always makes my writing way more professional than I ever thought it could be and_ _ **TheWritingFactory**_ _never ceases to come up with amazing suggestions. In all honesty, I wouldn't be able to get far without these two and I'm really grateful you guys are so kind & supportive. Thank you._

 _I also want to thank you all for taking the time to read not only this story, but for all who are following_ _ **"Thaw Slowly"**_ _\- yes, there will be a new chapter out soon. Not sure when exactly, but hopefully until the end of the month. It all really depends on how well this story turns out - so please, please, PLEASE review!  
_

 _Until next time guys._


	2. Took my heart & held it in your mouth

_You took my heart and you held it in your mouth  
And with a word all my love came rushing out  
And every whisper, it's the worst,  
Emptied out by a single word  
There is a hollow in me now  
So I put my faith in something unknown  
I'm living on such sweet nothing  
But I'm tired of hope with nothing to hold  
I'm living on such sweet nothing  
And it's hard to learn  
And it's hard to love  
When you're giving me such sweet nothing  
Sweet nothing, sweet nothing  
You're giving me such sweet nothing_

\- Calvin Harris featuring Florence + The Machine

* * *

The drive was much better than Hiccup had anticipated; arriving by the gate of the property in less than 35 minutes—a new personal best. Then again, he shouldn't have been all that surprised since he hadn't passed a single car on the road. Not to mention, he drove at a high speed; a common occurrence for the area, yet a horribly reckless decision to make should something go wrong.

He jumped out out the car and walked over to the weathered letterbox and opened it. Although he knew it was incredibly rude _(and also a federal offence)_ to be snooping through another person's mail, with how little information he'd gathered about this new tenant, Hiccup couldn't help but be curious. Hell, even a name would suffice at that present moment!

Unfortunately, the mailbox was empty and he let out a disappointed sigh.

"Of course," he muttered. If this woman had refused to give his father any details about her what were the odds that she'd have mail be sent to this location? It had been foolish of him to think otherwise and only increased his curiosity furthermore.

 _'Maybe she's a fugitive?'_ His mind offered, but he quickly disregarded the thought. No, most fugitives wouldn't offer large sums of money to lease out a property—too much risk involved _(not to mention unbelievably stupid)_ —they would instead live in an abandoned property without ever informing the land owner.

This woman was too clever for that.

 _'Maybe Gobber's right, maybe she's just a private person and prefers solitude...'_

Well, whatever the reason was, Hiccup was going to find out. One way or another.

Jumping back into the still running vehicle, the young man got it out of neutral and drove down the rocky path, through the thick maze of pine trees. On foot it would have taken a good ten minutes to get to the main property, but for the contractor, he was there in less than five.

 _'There it is...'_ he thought as his green eyes landed on the old cabin, a wave of nostalgia washing over him. So many fond memories had been made there; from when his parents would bring him here over the summer to let him brush up on his archery skills, getting to hang out with his friends, bringing Astrid over when he was still a love-struck teenager, and even to when he first lost his vir-

 _'Nonononono! Not going_ _ **there**_ _!'_ He scolded himself, feeling his cheeks burn and his heart aching ever so gently. _'That's in the past now.'_

The subject of Astrid Hofferson was always a tricky one and Hiccup never knew how to react to it. In all honesty, he wasn't bitter that his high-school sweetheart/ex-fiancée fell out of love with him and instead fell for his best friend, Eret. He really wasn't. The young man had known that they were going down two separate paths since the end of high-school and he really couldn't fault her when she decided to stay in Berk instead of travelling around the world with him.

Astrid had always known what she had wanted out of life, unlike him, so when she told him that she was going to university to get a degree in political science—so she could one day become Mayor of their hometown—Hiccup supported her wholeheartedly.

After she had helped him so much over the years and shaped him into the man he was today; how could he possibly resent her for wanting to better herself?

He loved her. Not the way he used to when he was eighteen, but now at twenty-five as a platonic friend.

 _'I better give her a call once this is over, so she knows that I'm back in town. Knowing her, she'll probably punch me for not contacting any sooner.'_ He cringed, remembering the lovely dark bruise she had given him a couple of days after Stoick's funeral for taking two years to finally visit Berk. If there was one thing he did not miss about Astrid it were her punches. Seriously, that girl had a mean right hook!

If she didn't do well in politics, then she'd certainly get along fine working at Eret's tavern... or the MMA. Either way, she'd still do well.

 _'Alright, let's do this.'_ He thought, taking in a deep inhale and bracing himself. Turning the ignition off, Hiccup got out of the car, locked it _(although, seriously, what was the point?)_ and walked over to the cabin. He noted that his assumptions of its state were proven correct as his eyes caught sight of the sinking roof; it amazed him that it hadn't collapsed in on itself yet.

"Woah!" He cried out as his foot fell straight through one of the stairs leading up to the entrance. Hoisting himself up with the railing, Hiccup launched himself over the rest of them and landed on the patio.

 _'They'll definitely need replacing.'_ His mind quipped as he quickly assessed his leg for any scratches, but luckily the fabric of his denim jeans had been enough to protect him. Once giving himself the all-clear, he then directed his attention to the front door, took another deep breath, and steadied himself. He raised his curled hand, poised and ready to knock.

That is, until he heard a deep growl.

Snapping his head to the left, Hiccup was alarmed to see the source of it was from a pure white Siberian husky, who had hackles raised and exposing some _very_ sharp looking teeth.

 _'Oh boy,'_ he gulped. _'Definitely, did_ _ **not**_ _think this one through...'_

Fortunately, he was quite used to these situations, since his mother was a zoologist and taught Hiccup from a young age how to handle such predicaments. He quickly diverted his eyes to the ground, as dogs viewed direct eye-contact as aggressive, and began speaking softly.

"Hey Bud, how you going? Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

He listened as the animal approached, but didn't dare to move—any sort of movement would mostly likely be seen as aggressive and only lead him to attack. He felt the dog begin to nuzzle its nose against his hand, sniffing to assess if he could be trusted or not. The young man allowed the action, and for several long minutes just stood there, waiting patiently, until ever-so-carefully, Hiccup raised his hand to gently scratch the back of the dog's ears. It seemed to work, because in that next moment, all animosity from the creature was now gone and it let out a soft coo.

"See? I'm not such a bad person." Hiccup said, turning around to face the husky and kneeling down to properly assess the creature. It was a big dog, whoever owned him clearly wanted people to be intimidated, and had lovely sky blue eyes, but what really caught his attention was the light blue collar wrapped around his neck and the silver tag attached to it with some lovely cursive writing.

"Marshmallow? Well, I certainly didn't expecting that! You look tough on the outside, but really you're just a big softie, huh?"

Clearly the owner had a good sense of humour – Hiccup could appreciate that.

"So your owner lives here?"

Marshmallow barked twice in what he assumed was an affirmative.

"I have to talk to your owner, it's really important. Is she home?"

Marshmallow barked twice again.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Getting up, the contractor walked up the front again and knocked three times loud & clearly. He stood there for a good minute waiting for a response and briefly pondered about knocking again or if this was even a good idea ( _'Please don't be a red-neck with a shotgun,_ _ **please**_ _don't be a red-neck with a shotgun!'_ He chanted in his head), until _(FINALLY!)_ the door opened and Hiccup lost all breath.

Of all the people he had been expecting _(fugitive, serial killer, drug dealer, painter, writer, crazy dog lady)_ he had certainly not expected a beautiful young woman in a blue v-neck shirt with a white cardigan  & faded jeans to be the one opening the door. Seriously, she looked like she had just come of the catwalk! She had long platinum blonde hair which was currently woven into a French braid, fair white skin which would given Snow White a run for her money, and blue eyes so cold & freakin' dazzling; she could have frozen him in an instant.

"Wow..." he breathed out, absolutely stunned. She was absolutely breathtaking!

Then Marshmallow barked, promptly snapping him back into reality.

"H-hi!" He awkwardly stuttered out. "Nice dog, he's yours? Of course he is! What am I saying?"

The woman raised one dark eyebrow, _(which was odd, shouldn't they be pale to match her hair? Or maybe blonde wasn't her natural colour, but it looked so real...)_ and simply stared at him  & the husky. Marshmallow whimpered; obviously knowing he had failed as a guard dog and slunk inside, out of Hiccup's vision, leaving him to fend for himself.

"You don't know me, obviously, but my name's Hiccup Haddock and this is my family's property!" he started, hoping to break the ice. "I heard someone was living here and I was surprised to hear that, so thought I'd come over to visit and say; _"Hi!"_ which I've already said, obviously. So hi!"

 _'Smooth Hiccup, real smooth...'_

She didn't immediately respond, remaining stoic as ever and for one brief moment he pondered if she could even speak Norwegian and hoped if she didn't, that she could at least understand English. However, the irrational worry was instantly dismissed when she finally opened her mouth and spoke _(her voice cool & clear, and yet soft & melodic.)_

"Your name is Hiccup...?" She announced his name carefully with a look of heavy scepticism. Obviously, she didn't believe him—not that he could blame her.

"Oh good, so you understand what I'm saying! For a minute I thought you couldn't!" He exclaimed stupidly, before realising how that might be taken. "U-uh not to say that you're stupid or anything, just because you're blonde! Not that blondes are stupid or anything! I actually have a blonde friend who graduated from university-"

 _'That's right, Hiccup,'_ his mind chastised him. _'Just keep digging your grave. It's not like you can sink any lower.'_

"You know what, I think I'm just gonna shut up now..." he finished, thoroughly mortified by his excessive rambling. Seriously, it knew no boundaries.

"So your name is _Hiccup_?" The woman repeated, breaking the uncomfortable silence and he almost let out a sigh of relief. "Quite a name; I've never actually come across anyone with that before."

"Yeah, I know. Lame, right?" He chuckled out. "Parents around here like to traumatise their kids by giving them the worse names imaginable. I'm just grateful it wasn't Snotlout; that one already belongs to my cousin."

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" she asked, clearly unimpressed.

"No, I wouldn't believe me either, but sadly, it's true." He replied honestly with a shrug of the shoulders. He then realised that he hadn't even offered the woman the chance to introduce herself. "But enough about me—what about you? What's your name?"

A scowl appeared on her pretty features and Hiccup couldn't stop from thinking it was such a shame _(she'd be so much prettier if she smiled)_ before she said curtly; "Forgive me for my rudeness, Mister Haddock, but I hardly see how is that any of your concern. Or why you're even _here_ for that matter."

 _'Woah...! Cold much...?!'_ Was what first popped into his mind; clearly shocked by this woman's open hostility. Then again, it wasn't like he had provided her any reason not to be—after all, he pretty much rocked up here with no notice, unwillingly insulted her, and provided the worst conversation imaginable.

Hell, even Snotlout would be doing a better job than him right now!

Still, he had a valid reason for coming here and he certainly wasn't about to let himself get deterred because of a frigid _(and yet so very,_ _ **very**_ _attractive)_ woman.

"Would we be able to go inside and chat? This might take a while." He suggested, hoping to ease the tension.

"No, I don't think so, Mister Haddock." The blonde replied, as she crossed her slender arms over her supple chest _(don't stare, Hiccup!)_ and continued, "Whatever you need to say can be said right here; and I would really appreciate if you made it quick because I have better things to attend to today than being bothered by idle conversation."

 _'Jeez, talk about rude!'_ He thought, appalled; here he was trying to be civil and yet this woman showed no intention of giving him the same courtesy! However, as much as he would like to dish it right back at her, that would lead him nowhere at this point.

"Well, _technically_ your welfare _is_ my business." He stated, knowing this what about to get real unpleasant, real fast. Bracing himself, he sent a silent prayer to any gods that might be listening and spoke again; "Because _I'm_ the new land owner."

Her blue eyes widened a fraction, much to his amusement & satisfaction, before they narrowed again. "Excuse me? Wait, I'm confused—when I spoke to the previous land owner, he said that he had no intention of selling the land."

"He didn't. It's been in our possession for three-hundred years and will be in our possession for another three-hundred before we'd ever consider selling this land." He spoke impassioned, a common feat of his whenever he felt strongly about something. When he noticed the puzzled expression on her face, Hiccup decided to bite the bullet. "This property belongs to my dad; or _used_ to, anyway... He died a month ago from a sudden heart attack."

All of a sudden, the cold aura surrounding the woman seemed to melt away, revealing a more compassionate side. She looked at him in what he could only describe as _empathy_ and she spoke more softly, more kindly; "My deepest sympathies... it's never easy to lose a parent."

"Thank you," he said, appreciating her condolences. Everyone else so far had been trying to comfort him with gentle touches and insensitive cliché phrases _("He was a good man" and "I know what you're going through", or the most infuriating one: "He's in a better place now")_ and yet, this woman didn't bother with any of that, because there was nothing you could say or do to soothe an aching heart; it was as if she spoke from experience, and his respect _(and intrigue)_ for her went up a notch.

But as quickly as her warmer side appeared, the sooner it disappeared again and he wondered if it had ever really been there in the first place.

"Forgive me for asking, but how is that you even knew this place had been leased?" She asked, whilst not as stony as before, she was still quite reserved. "Your father agreed to never mention to anyone about our contract. Did he write it down somewhere? Because I never signed any paperwork."

"No, nothing like that," he explained. "You just had happened to call my dad while he was in the presence of his best friend."

"I see..." She spoke thoughtfully and he could tell she was bothered by this fact.

"Don't worry, Gobber's a very trustworthy person; if that's what you're thinking." He said, hoping to reassure her. "He hasn't told another soul about your contract, apart from me, of course—and that's only because I had asked for the keys so I could come visit. He urged me not to come here because it would be going against dad's wishes, and your contract."

"And yet you still came," she said suspiciously. "Why?"

"A couple of reasons, but the two main ones are," he started before holding up his index finger. "One: I wanted to find out more about you, because not too many people would live here with the state this place is in and two," flicking up his middle finger to make V symbol, he continued; "I wanted to assess the condition of the cabin because I'm going to be renovating it, though seeing how it looks from the outside; I can already tell this isn't fit for human living, so I'm going to have to start this week pronto."

"… what?" She breathed out, looking shocked. "Are you serious?"

"Definitely; the roof looks like it's about to cave in at any moment! I'm amazed it hasn't collapsed on your head yet!"

"But I'm only here for another three months!" She responded, looking somewhat flustered. "Please! Can't you wait until then?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't leave this place in the state that it's in. Especially if you're living here."

"And you think I can live here while you're renovating?!" she replied with wide eyes. "That's not possible!"

"I'm sorry, I really am! Look, I'm happy to reimburse you with the three months rent, plus the extra twenty-two hundred you gave my dad."

"I don't care about the money!" She protested, her composure quickly cracking away, surprising him. For the first time since meeting her, the woman looked nervous and Hiccup felt a sudden _chill—_ although he couldn't for the life of him explain why.

He watched her clench her fists tightly and close her eyes to take slow, deep breathes, and strangely, the air felt warmer again—but that was simply sheer coincidence.

Regaining herself after a moment, she revealed those bright blue eyes again _(which seemed so dull compared to only a minute ago)_ and spoke in a more composed manner; "I have a reason I need to be here. A very important one. I can't leave now, not yet."

"So does this mean you're gonna stay?" Hiccup asked, gently prodding her. Even though she hadn't been the most welcoming person he had ever met, he hated the thought of putting her into disarray simply because of his whimsy desires.

"I don't have any choice. I'll just have to find something to do while you work." She replied simply, although it was clear she was annoyed by the prospect.

"Thank you. I know this is an inconvenience for you, but I really appreciate it." He said sincerely, hoping to let her know that he was genuinely grateful for her co-operation. Giving her a warm smile, he added shyly; "You know... you still haven't told me your name."

The fair woman bit her lip, looking rather dismayed and he waited patiently.

"Elsa." She finally answered and he felt his heart skip in excitement. "My name is Elsa."

"Just Elsa?" He asked playfully, glad to finally place a name on the beautiful girl.

"Just Elsa," she replied firmly and Hiccup dropped the subject. He knew when to pick his battles. "I suppose you would like to come in..."

"Yes, if you don't mind."

Elsa moved out from the door frame and gestured for him to enter, not bothering to say anything in response, and allowed him to lead. He thanked her and stepped into the cabin for the first time in many years.

Despite its outside appearance, the interior of it was actually quite cleanly, much to his surprise and delight, as he walked through the hall leading into the living room, which is where he found Marshmallow lounging on one of the couches.

In all honesty, he hadn't expected her to keep the place in such a pristine condition since she most likely never had any guests _(an assumption of course, but with her frosty attitude he highly doubted it),_ and he was grateful she had proven him otherwise. Although he briefly wondered if she often got tired from doing so, because it was quite a large cabin—with four rooms, including a master bedroom, a _reasonably_ up to date _(and he used that term_ _ **very**_ _loosely)_ bathroom & kitchen, and a living room which also served as a dining room which connected to the surrounding patio—it was quite a bit of work to do on your own.

 _'Then again, she probably has all the time in the world to do so.'_ His mind suggested.

"To be honest, I actually expected a lot more debris." He told her as he noticed a huge portion of the ceiling was missing.

"There was quite a bit of it when I came here." Elsa replied from behind, without any sort of bite—it was nice. "It took me a few days to move it all out to the work-shed."

"I'll have to get a skip then," he said as his eyes caught sight of the peeling wall paper _(oh well, he never cared much for it anyway)_ —it looked like he was going to have to strip all the walls and paint them.

"A skip?" She parroted.

"You know, a rubbish container." He explained offhandedly as they walked into the kitchen. He noticed several of the cabinet doors were now missing _(most likely with the rest of the debris)_ and he asked out loud; "How's the gas?"

"No problems that I've noticed."

"Water?"

"Water works fine, however, the pipes make the most terrible screeching sound."

"I'll need to replace the facets then." He made a mental note to organise a trip down to the hardware store. "Any electrical faults?"

"No," she shook her head.

They then moved into bathroom where Hiccup noticed a whole bunch of missing tiles and that the mirror above the hand-basin had cracked. Turning on the facet, he was greeted by the awful screeching Elsa had described, before promptly turning it off. Walking over to the shower, he noticed some built up calcium around the shower-head.

 _'Better get some CLR for that.'_ He thought idly.

"Drains?"

"They had an awful smell when I moved in," the blonde replied. "However, once I used some drain cleaner the smell completely vanished."

They continued their journey through the cabin with Hiccup noticing that some of the doors were squeaky _('WD40 for that...')_ , the floors could do with a varnish _('They'll have to be sanded first...')_ , there was no washing machine in the laundry _('How does she wash her clothes?')_ , there was a draft flowing through the house _('Has to be awful during winter—she must have certainly gotten cold...')_ and more missing portions of the ceiling _('How this place hasn't had a cave in yet remains a complete mystery to me...')_

After the assessment of the insides, they went outside onto the patio, where Hiccup remembered his foot had fallen through some of the wooden planks _(snow damage, he had concluded earlier),_ and he had only just placed his hands on the railing to check the strength of its structure when he noticed something out of the ordinary falling onto his right hand.

 _'Is that...?'_ He pondered, astounded, before flicking his head up to the sky and gasped. _'It is!'_

"Snow...!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "But it's summer!"

He noticed Elsa seemed awfully quiet at that moment; not that he could blame her, he was pretty shocked himself—how was it even _possible_?

 _'What the hell...?'_ As he continued to stare at the greying sky and falling snow with wonder; until his ute flashed into his mind and he realised he didn't have any snow chains connected to his tires. Even though he doubted the roads would be icy at that point, he was still in the middle of nowhere and he'd be an idiot to take a careless risk by staying any longer. Not to mention, he had yet to go grocery shopping and visit Valka.

 _'Although I'll probably have to give that a skip now...'_

Just then sudden gust of wind blew and the contractor shivered, wishing he was wearing more than a flimsy maroon v-neck shirt and jeans.

"Looks like this is my cue to leave." He said, turning to Elsa, who looked nowhere near disappointed at his declaration.

"So you've finished your assessment?"

"Yes, although I'll need to do some measurements, but I'll have to do it another day," he replied before looking up at the sky again. "From the looks of things, I'll have to give it at least three days before doing any sort of labour. Hopefully the weather will have calmed and the snow will be more manageable to work around. If you like I can give you my mobile number so you can call me if you have any problems."

"Thank you, Mister Haddock, but that would be pointless. I don't have a phone." She said, surprising him once again, and Hiccup didn't know whether to be sad or envious of her.

It seemed sad that she didn't have anyone to contact—didn't she have family? Then again, with how many times he had wanted to hurl his Iphone out of the window whenever he would get called by work on his day off about an incident which had occurred, or a complication with their suppliers, he would definitely pick the latter.

Pulling out a small notepad & pen out of his jeans pocket, he scribbled down his address and ripped it out of the book.

"Here's where I'm living at the moment," he offered as he held the piece of paper out."If you have any problems; please don't hesitate to come over and let me know. I really mean it."

"Very well." She responded, carefully taking the note out of his grasp.

"I'll be back by Thursday morning, eight o'clock. Is that good for you?"

"Fine by me."

"Great! I guess I'll see you Thursday then!" He exclaimed cheerfully. Taking a few steps back, he said; "Uh, I better get going then... See ya!"

He then jumped over the broken stairs, landed on the ground with perfect ease, and hurried over to his car. He turned to wave good-bye, only to find Elsa was no longer standing there. He bit back the urge to sigh as he felt disappointment flood through him—a small part of him wondering why he was bothering to make a good impression.

 _'What's the point? She already thinks you're an idiot.'_

He wasn't expecting her to like him or anything, but he would at least not to feel like she saw him as an eyesore, or worse, waste of space. He had endured enough of that as a kid and he really didn't want to go down that path again.

Otherwise, it was going to be a _long_ three months.

 _'Maybe I just caught her on a bad day and she'll be in a better mood by Thursday.'_ He hoped as he got into the vehicle and started the ignition, however, he knew that he was being delusional.

* * *

He was gone now and Elsa could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She hadn't meant to be so rude to the young man; despite his excessive ramblings & awkward introduction, he actually seemed like a really nice guy _(and it didn't hurt that he was incredibly good looking with those gorgeous green eyes and that wild mahogany coloured hair...)_ Granted, she had been affronted by his unexpected arrival and irritated that he would now be making constant visits, but it was only because she was already having a bad day and she wasn't prepared for any sort of human interaction.

 _'Guess I'm going to have to get used to it now...'_ She thought, biting her lip as her eyes caught glance of the rapid snowfall outside, worry gnawing away in her gut.

"Get it together..." she muttered as she leaned her head against the glass panel of the window. Trying to calm herself, she closed her eyes, shutting out the world around her and took long & deep breathes; focusing solely on her breathing. "Control it!"

When she heard the whistle of wind, the woman snapped her eyes open and noticed, much to her dismay, that frost had started to form over all of the windows.

 _'Damn it, it's not working!'_ She realised, while running a trembling hand over her hair.

Stress and anxiousness flooded through her as she watched the frost continue to spread over the glass like wildfire and it was when she heard it cracking, that she rushed to the bathroom, slamming open the medicine cabinet and pull out an a small orange vial with trembling hands.

 _Come on! Come on!_ She thought frantically , cursing the damn child safely lock. _Open, already!_

She managed to rip the lid off and tipped two small pills into her palm when she heard a faint whimper.

Flicking her head to the direction, sadness & shame overwhelmed her as she saw Marshmallow sit there watching her like he always did when she was like this _(hurt and aching and barely holding herself from falling apart...)_

"Please don't judge me!" She begged—and oh God, how she wanted to sound cold and reserved and totally emotionless like she had always let other people believe—but she could never bring herself to behave that way towards the Siberian husky. He had endured so much and given her so much these past few years, he deserved her honesty, at least.

The dog said nothing in response and simply laid down, looking up at her with those big blue eyes, and Elsa knew she had disappointed her friend once again, however, she also knew that she had no other choice.

 _"Papa, do I really have to keep taking this medicine? It makes me tired."_

She threw the pills into her mouth and gulped them down in an instant without any need for water _(she had been taking them long enough to ignore the bitter taste)_ and prayed for the tablets to take effect soon.

 _"I'm sorry, Elsa, but it's for the best."_

 _"Okay..."_

"Conceal." The blonde mumbled tiredly as she stumbled out of the bathroom and went into her bedroom; collapsing onto the bed and vacantly gazed out the open window _(although, she should really close it. Then again, it wasn't like the cold ever bothered her before.)_

"Don't feel." She continued as she felt the prescription drugs take effect. She felt the mattress shift beneath her as Marshmallow leapt onto the bed and snuggled up to her, offering the comfort she so desperately eyelids grew heavy and exhaustion kicked in as she noticed the snow was only falling lightly now, much to her relief, and before whispering pitifully, "Don't let it show."

And then just like that, sleep consumed her and she was plagued by senseless darkness.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: And Chapter Two has FINALLY been uploaded! You wouldn't believe how long I've been waiting to post this up! I completed it months ago, but I promised myself I wouldn't do so until I updated **"Thaw Slowly"** simply because I knew you guys would never let me live it down. So yes, Hiccup has finally met our beloved Elsa, who unfortunately, wants nothing to do with him. Poor guy! Hang in there, Bud!_

 _I want to thank **Maxaro** for once again editing my stuff and making it look all professional  & glamorous - always appreciated. As well as **TheWritingFactory** for giving me some suggestions and always supporting me in my Hiccelsa endeavours. _

_Also, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review - I really appreciate guys, it makes writing all the worthwhile._

 _Until next time._


	3. I need a girl in my life

_That's why I need a girl that be true to me_  
 _Know bout the game, and know how to do to me_  
 _Without a girl on my side, shit, I ruin me_  
 _Forget the word, it's just you and me_  
 _Now let's ride..._  
 _I need a girl to ride, ride, ride_  
 _I need a girl to make my wife_  
 _I need a girl who's mine oh mine_  
 _I need a girl in my life_  
 _I need a girl to ride, ride, ride_  
 _I need a girl to be my wife_  
 _Nobody else cuz she's all mine_  
 _I need a girl in my life_

\- P. Diddy and Usher

* * *

A couple of minutes after Hiccup left the family property he noticed that, much to his astonishment, the snow had stopped entirely.

 _'Wait what?! What the Hell?! Where'd the snow go?!'_

Pulling over immediately, he promptly jumped out of his car to look up to the sky to find any trace and found it was now a perfect clear blue without a trace of a single cloud.

 _'Weird... no, I could've sworn... it was definitely snowing, right?'_ he thought, pondering if perhaps it had been all apart of his imagination—maybe the emotional impact of Stoick's death was affecting him more than he realised and was now making him have vivid hallucinations? Perhaps he should seek some professional help, however, he decided maybe it was probably better just to dismiss it entirely.

 _'I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. It's not like I can't go back now; I've already told Elsa I won't be back until Thursday—so I don't think she'd be entirely impressed if I were to return suddenly...'_

No, with how Elsa behaved around him, it was blatantly obvious that she wasn't too fond of him and Hiccup certainly wasn't the type to stick around somewhere he wasn't wanted, nor masochistic enough to endure such unpleasantries. Still, it bothered him; despite being occasionally awkward and his frequent use of heavy sarcasm, he had always been somewhat good at getting along with other people.

Granted, he hadn't been like that when he was younger _(he always had a knack for irritating the other kids,_ _ **particularly**_ _Snotlout)_ and it certainly hadn't helped being the second smartest in the class _(Fishlegs being number one)_ , but after the summer of his fifteenth birthday and his near death experience, he had learnt to get along with his fellow classmates and finally managed to make friends.

Shortly after that, he started dating Astrid and Eret transferred to Berk and everything fell into place for those next three years.

 _'I just hope we can get along,'_ he mused as he got back into the car and continued his journey back into town. _'It'd make everything a lot easier...'_

* * *

"Hello Hiccup," his mother greeted him the instant she opened the door; wrapping the contractor in a startlingly strong embrace that left him staggering to keep his balance.

"Hey mum," he mumbled back sheepishly before returning the gesture and allowing himself to enjoy the warm hug. He caught a quick sniff of her scent and a wave of nostalgia overwhelmed him along with the sudden urge of never wanting to let her go. "I missed you..."

Call it sappy and overly cliché, but losing Stoick reminded the young man of just how brief and fleeting life could be, as well as the painful realisation that his mother was getting on with age and far away as it may seem, one day she wouldn't be around to offer him love & affection, or to hold him like this—and so Hiccup wanted to enjoy the time he still had.

"I missed you too, son," she said as she pulled away, looking at him with teary eyes and a wide grin. "Oh look how much you've grown! You've become a fine young man!"

"Muuuuuuum!" he droned, embarrassed by the flattery.

"I'm serious, Hiccup. When you were twenty I was still taller than you! Not by that much, but it was noticeable enough. Now though, you're as tall as your father!" Valka continued, her smile gradually slipping away and replaced with a look of melancholy. "You've grown up so much over these years and I was hardly every there to see it... I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, mum," he interjected softly, hoping to ease some of her guilt. "You had important work."

Yeah, it had been lonely growing up without a mother who was out of the picture a lot, and yeah, it made things difficult between him & Stoick, however, Hiccup had always known that his mother was doing what she loved and she was making a huge impact in the field of conservation _(and being a huge animal lover himself)_ he was insanely proud of her.

"That might be so, but it doesn't justify ignoring my family," she replied firmly before softly grabbing Hiccup's hands and squeezing them, as if to reassure him or maybe herself that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Stoick's gone now and I can't change that..." she continued remorsefully, though it quickly slipped away and was replaced with a more composed tone, surprising Hiccup. "But I would like to make sure I don't repeat the same mistakes on my son. So I've decided to take annual leave and I was hoping since you would be here over the summer, we could catch up in that time."

"Really?" he asked aghast, not expecting to hear that all, before exclaiming excitedly; "That'd be great! Yeah, totally!"

Consider it weird and rather lame, but Hiccup had always enjoyed hanging out with his mother. He rarely ever got to do so growing up and to be given the opportunity to spend more time with her, he considered it to be a blessing.

Valka gave him a warm smile in response, before she blanched, as if remembering something.

"Oh what am I doing making you stand here when there's cookies still in the oven?! Come sit," she said, dragging him over to the couch and pushing him to sit without any sort of difficulty.

While she might be a terrible cook, Valka was surprisingly fairly decent at baking—granted, it usually came in a packet and didn't require too much effort, but it ended up edible and Hiccup didn't have to worry about cracking a tooth, or getting indigestion.

"Here, have a seat and I'll grab you a few," she offered before rushing into the kitchen, and calling over her shoulder; "Did you want some milk with them, or coffee?"

"Milk, thank you!" he replied, remembering he already had a coffee whilst at Gobber's and would prefer not to risk having a caffeine overdose.

 _'Speaking of which; I better let him know how it all went,'_ he thought. _'Although, what the Hell am I going to tell him...?'_

Telling the truth might have seemed like the most plausible solution, although Hiccup didn't know how well it would go if he informed his godfather that his current tenant was a stunningly attractive, hostile, and single _(because with that frosty attitude of hers there was_ _ **no way**_ _she could be dating anyone—at least, anyone_ _ **sane**_ _that is...)_ young woman, who he would now be visiting on a regular basis. Even though he knew Gobber would refrain from making any lewd or inappropriate comments, the contractor preferred to keep his personal life, well, personal.

 _'I'll just tell him that she agreed,'_ he decided. _'Nothing more. Besides, it's not like he's going to meet her any time soon; not with him constantly working around the clock. He's not going to take time out of his busy schedule to go over to the property just to feed his curiosity.'_

"Here you are!" Valka announced a moment later, bringing out a side plate of cookies along with a glass of milk and putting them in front of him on the coffee table before grabbing a cookie herself and sitting down adjacent of him. "So, how was Corona? You were involved in the new Women & Children's hospital project, correct?"

"Yeah, it was really great. I actually got invited to watch the unveiling," he recollected as he took his first bite of the chocolate chip biscuit. "It really was something—I can't believe how many famous people were there—I even got to speak to the Prime Minister's daughter briefly."

"Oh wow, quite the honour!" his mother replied, keenly interested. "What was she like?"

"Lovely girl, around my age," Hiccup answered, remembering the young brunette. "Pretty, very friendly, and she was very good with all of the patients—especially the younger children; they all absolutely adored her when she went over to play with them. Her name's Rapunzel."

The older woman blinked. " _Rapunzel?_ Well that's certainly a peculiar name."

"Coming from the woman who allowed her son to be named Hiccup?" he quipped jokingly with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll have you know that I was originally planning on naming you, Henry Jay Haddock. However, your father was quite against it and insisted we name you after your great-great grandfather." A thoughtful look then crossed her features and she asked, "Wait, isn't she the one who was kidnapped at a very young age and reappeared only a few years ago?"

"The same one," he affirmed. "Despite her captor's incessant cruelty and conceitedness, _amazingly enough_ the experience didn't seem to affect her life, nor her opinion on humanity whatsoever. Instead, she focused on studying medicine and is now one of the leading doctors there—truly dedicated to her profession and to making a difference. It's actually quite inspiring."

"Hmmm... she sounds like quite the catch!" Valka remarked in good humour. "Given with how highly you're speaking about her, I'm surprised you haven't asked her out on a date."

"Ah yes, but alas, she's already engaged," he said playfully, shrugging his shoulders melodramatically.

"Well there's still plenty of fish out in the sea," Valka spoke reassuringly, and then her expression turned a bit more melancholy. "Although, if I'm to be honest... I wish things worked out between you and Astrid."

"I know," Hiccup simply replied. Even though he had come to terms with it many years ago, he couldn't deny that he somewhat missed being with her. She was the only one _(apart from Toothless)_ who could fully understand him and all his little quirks. "But her  & Eret are happy, and they're good together. A part of me had always known that our time together was limited; I'm just grateful I got to be with her, even if it was just for a while."

"Even so, I still think she was a fool to let you go," his mother said but her words lack any sort of bite; after all, her and Astrid had been quite close when they had still been dating.

"So how was your time in South Africa?" Hiccup asked, deciding it was better to change to the subject—lest he wanted to ended up at the bar later on that night, drunk as a sailor and bemoaning to his best friends why he was still single. No, best to avoid that. Especially since Snoutlout or Tuffnut would probably get involved and take advantage of his vulnerability and drag him into some sort of embarrassing situation in their attempt to cheer him up _(or humiliate him—either one, though most likely both)_ , which he would only have to deal with the next day.

"Oh it was fascinating, Hiccup! You should have seen it..." Valka exclaimed as she recounted her recent adventures and the young man listened eagerly, always enjoying his mother's conversational stories.

* * *

"I'm home!" Hiccup called the instant he managed to step into his apartment, his hands both full with several heavy shopping bags. Kicking the door shut, he walked over to the kitchen counter and started unloading them only to hear the excited cries of Toothless.

 _"MEOW! MEOW! MEOOOOWWW!"_ the cat exclaimed before leaping up onto the counter and proceeded to smooch up to the contractor, obviously eager to be fed.

"Alright, alright—I'm getting there! Just wait!" he replied as he placed the bags on the counter and rummaged through the groceries, looking for Toothless' food. Finding the first can of cat food he could find, Hiccup walked over to one of the cupboards to pull out a clean saucer and then walked back over to the cutlery draw and grabbed a spoon which he opened the can with before finally served its contents.

"Sit," he ordered the black cat as he held the cat food-filled saucer up above the feline's head.

Toothless instantly obliged and the young man placed it down, watching as the cat all but gulfed it down.

"Greedy little runt," Hiccup muttered as he watched his friend chow down on his dinner before reflecting on what he would eat. Even though he had purchased enough food to make up a decent meal, he wasn't in the mood to cook.

 _'I suppose I could get Chinese since I didn't end up getting any last night...'_ he mused as he started putting the groceries away. _'It's been a while since I had noodles... I could go to **Kung fu Panda** and visit Mister Ping. Who knows, Po might even be there... although, I'm pretty sure he'd be getting ready for the WMA Championship—isn't that happening soon?'_

With his mind made up, Hiccup decided he would go out, grab some noodles, come home, sit on the couch, maybe watch some Netflix-

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

Or maybe not... damn.

 _'What the hell? Who could that be? Leave me alone!'_ his mind droned, dread flooding him as he walked over to the door. He hadn't told anyone that he was back in Berk with the exception of his mother and Godfather. Elsa flashed briefly in his mind, however he quickly shook the thought away; he highly doubted she would come to visit him since she was so eager to get rid of him earlier.

 _'Shame...'_ his inner voice sighed. _'You could have asked her out to dinner. I'm sure even she isn't above the opportunity for a free meal.'_

In that small instant, the contractor came to the heartbreaking realisation that his current mindset was composed of a potent mixture of both stupid & delusional—a fine combination indeed—but was not to be trusted.

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

"Alright, I'm coming! Jeez!" he called out before pulling the door open. What he had not expected was to be met with several heavy blows to his left shoulder and an aching desire for an icepack.

"Owowowowow!" he recoiled, holding his injured shoulder as he glared at the perpetrator. "What the hell, Astrid?!"

Standing before him in all her golden glory, was the one and only Astrid Hofferson, looking as radiant and fearsome as ever—and completely unphased by his glowering. So friggin' typical of her.

"I don't see what you're complaining about; I went easy on you this time," she replied casually with a faint smirk, stepping through the door and brushing past him. "It's not my fault you've gotten soft."

"Well forgive me, but I'm not used to being beaten to a pulp on a regular basis," he retorted flatly as he closed the door behind them, before adding; "I don't know what still compels Eret to keep enduring such abuse."

"The sex," she answered over her shoulder and he nearly choked on his own breath. "Definitely the sex."

"Woah, woah, woah! _Way_ too much information!"

Even though they were really good friends and had been intimate in the past, there were some things better left unknown and Hiccup wasn't all that eager to learn about his best friends' personal affairs.

Astrid laughed at his flustered response. "Sorry Hiccup, but your reaction was too good to pass up," she said with a guilty grin. "You're just so modest."

"I'm just simply not the type to kiss-and-tell, that's all," he replied with a grin of his own, enjoying their banter, it was just like old times. "Speaking of which: how did you know I was even here? I wasn't going to call you until tonight."

"Hiccup," she chastised kindly, crossing her arms. "In case you didn't realise, this is Berk; word travels very fast around here, especially when it involves the arrival of the previous Mayor's son. Besides, Gobber told Valka who told Snotlout, who told Tuffnut, who told Fishlegs, who told Ruffnut, who told Eret, who told me."

"Figures," he sighed. "Can't trust anyone to keep anything quiet around here."

"I'm afraid you're fresh out of luck." Astrid shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, yet that playful attitude faded a moment later, and replaced with a more sincere expression. "But if I can be honest—I'm really glad you're back. I missed you. We all have."

"I missed you too," he admitted. Growing up, Astrid had been a big part of his adolescence, serving as his moral compass and always was willing to lend an ear when he had something weighing him down—she had always been there to listen and point him in the right direction. Even though they weren't together romantically anymore, she was still a big part of his life and he couldn't imagine that changing any time soon.

The moment slowly slipped away and the blonde female started walking around the apartment, thoroughly inspecting his living quarters.

"It's a nice set-up you've got here," she commented as her eyes caught sight of the view outside his window.

 _"Meow..."_

"Oh hello Toothless!" she exclaimed happily when the cat leapt onto the window ledge before her. She crouched before him and started to scratch underneath his chin. "How've you been? Not getting into too much mischief lately, I hope."

"You know it," the contractor answered for her. "Just recently he decided to invite himself when I was going to the unveiling of the new Women's & Children hospital, sneaked into my car and started helping himself to the catering."

"No!" Astrid gasped, looking aghast.

"Oh but he did!" he confirmed, remembering just how mortified he was. "Trust me, it wasn't pretty! It was just fortunate that he had been more focused on the giant ice sculpture on display; even if he did get his tongue stuck on it..."

His friend laughed out loud, not that he could blame her—the entire scenario sounded absolutely ridiculous, even to him. She then turned her attention back to the black cat and said, "You're going to get your owner fired one day, you know that."

"I was just lucky that Doctor Rapunzel had noticed him before anyone else and was willing to keep everyone distracted while I got him out."

"Doctor Rapunzel?" she raised an eyebrow in interest. "Who's that?"

"A young doctor around our age—a paediatrician actually. I've got her as a friend of Facebook," Hiccup explained nonchalantly, not thinking to much into it. "Nice girl, I think you would like her."

" _Her_?" Astrid asked with a sly grin, looking rather interested in the direction of this conversation and Hiccup was already kicking himself when he realised his mistake.

"Now before you get any ideas: she's already engaged," he informed her bluntly, not wanting to give her the wrong impression. "I've already explained this to mum and I'd rather not have this same discussion again."

"Well what do you expect, Hiccup?" she asked kind heartedly. "It's been years since you've been in a long-term relationship."

"It can't be helped, I work away a lot and I don't have the time or the strength to commit to a long distance relationship," he answered truthfully. "I already realised that after Moana."

"She was from the Polynesia Islands, wasn't she?"

"Motunui," he corrected. "Yeah, she was a great girl—so fun and exciting, but she's too reckless, just like me. Unfortunately, we just kept butting heads and we soon realised it just wasn't gonna work."

"That's a shame, although I guess it would be better for the sake of your future descendent for them not to inherit their parents' bullheadedness. You need someone who can be logical and have enough willpower not to rush head first into stupid situations—like Heather."

"Do you know how ironic that sounds coming from you?" he dead panned, not forgetting just how riled up his ex-girlfriend would get whenever the dark-haired girl was present.

"Yes, but a lot has happened since then and now she's one of my closest friends," Astrid reasoned sensibly and he couldn't argue with that. "Besides, I was jealous and insecure. She was the new girl; pretty and smart and able to get along with everyone so easily compared to me. I mean, you guys became instant friends while I was trying to get alone time with you."

"Well it's not like you made things easy. You didn't start really talking to me until the summer I found Toothless."

"Fair point. I was a bit of a snob back then," she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, not above admitting her faults. "Teenage angst and all that fun stuff—but I think we're getting off track here, Hiccup; although I'll give you points for trying."

"What can I say? It's a gift," he quipped before getting a bit more serious. "I like Heather, I always have, but I've never been interested in her that way. To me, she's always been a good friend and nothing more, and even if you & I had never dated, I still wouldn't have gone out with her. It'd be like you and Fishlegs dating."

"Ugh, God no!" Astrid bleched, horrified by the suggestion. "Not that there's anything wrong with Fishlegs! It's just I only see him like a younger brother or something—but I do see your point. What about Merida?"

"You mean Merida who shot down Snotlout after asking her out? Like, _literally_ shot him down! Even though I'm grateful to her for teaching me archery and putting my cousin in his place, I'll have to say no thank you. Besides, isn't she a little busy right now, training for the Olympics?"

"Yes, she has a bit of a temper, but you can't deny she has a wicked sense of humour."

"Maybe, but if I wanted wild and spontaneous, I'd be dating Ruffnut. Although I'm not sure if Fishlegs would like that too much."

"Spouses tend to not like people dating their significant other."

"See? That leaves us back to the drawing board!" Hiccup sighed out loud, shaking his head melodramatically before getting a bit more serious again. "Don't get me wrong, Astrid. I would like to find someone and settle down and eventually have a family, but I haven't felt like _that_ towards anyone else apart from you, and even back then we just weren't ready for that."

"You can't really use that as a valid excuse, Hiccup. We were only eighteen and we wanted different things," Astrid explained simply, not bothering to beat around the bush about the topic.

"Maybe so, however, I just haven't felt that desire or a connection," he replied honestly with a shrug.

"Well I hope you find someone soon," the blonde female admitted, placing a tender hand onto his shoulder. "You're a good man, Hiccup, and you deserve to find someone who'll make you happy."

"Thank you, Astrid, I know you only want what's best for me," he said sincerely, grateful for her concern, however, he decided to change the topic. "And even though I appreciate it, you'll have to excuse me now, because I'm absolutely starving and I'm on my way to get dinner—unless you're interested in joining."

"Yeah that sounds good. What were you thinking of grabbing?" she asked as they strolled out of the apartment.

"I was thinking of going to _Kung fu Panda_ and hopefully see Po," Hiccup answered whilst he locked the front door.

"I haven't been there in ages! Did you hear Po & Tigress are engaged now?" Astrid exclaimed as they started walking through the hallway and he nearly tripped over his feet, not expecting to hear that all.

"What?! Since when were they _even dating?!_ "

* * *

 _Author's notes: I can't believe I used a freakin' rap lyrics for this intro! Oh God, if it wasn't for the fact the tune gives me so much nostaglia, I'd swear that I'm losing my touch..._

 _Anyway, so it's been 18 months since I've last updated this and I'm sorry it's not quite worth the wait but I just couldn't really work with this all too much, however, it was nice to write Valka & Astrid (and them pushing Hiccup to find a nice girl to settle down with; even though he won't be mentioning Elsa anytime soon ;-D) although I hope they weren't too out of character (*cough* Astrid's crass comment *cough*) _

_Of course, this story won't nearly be updated as much as_ _ **Thaw Slowly**_ _unless I get struck with any sort of inspiration but I'd like to work on this a bit more as an outlet for TS so I can see if I'm capable of writing more than one decent story, haha._

 _As always thank you, **Maxaro** for editing and putting up with my writing - and yes, now that you mentioned that omake regarding Hiccup  & Moana, I've got something in mind... ;-)_

 _I'd like to thank everyone whose reviewed so far and I'd appreciate any feedback for this chapter to see where it should take off—I've got a general idea, but I'd be open for any suggestions._

 _Until next time guys._


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